


The New Normal

by TheCunningLinguist



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-04-06 09:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19060108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCunningLinguist/pseuds/TheCunningLinguist
Summary: [Post Season 2]When Catra enlists the help of a strange sorcerer to escape Beast Island, she never thought it meant returning to Bright Moon and confronting a past she knows nothing about.This is the Micah-mentoring-Catra fic that you know you've wanted since the Light Spinner episode.ExcerptShe pinched her eyes shut tightly before opening them to ask, “You really think they’d let me stay in Brightmoon?”“Just let me have a conversation with my wife… and my daughter.” He finished eyeing her. The slightest twitch in Catra’s jaw betrayed her.“What is she like?” Micah prodded. “You seem to know one another.”Catra instinctively felt for the cheekbone where she could still sometimes remember the fist of a certain sparkly princess. “Hot-headed.” Catra said simply. “And stubborn. Naive.” She looked at him, forgetting herself for a moment. “But… I’ll give her.” She thought about it hard. “She seems to be really loyal... to her friends.” Her voice felt faraway.“Hmmm,” Micah raised an eyebrow again. “That sounds familiar.”Catra crossed her arms. “And she’s really… sparkly.” She paused. “That we don’t have in common.”





	1. A Stranger

Catra drug the raccoon to the clearing. She’d been on Beast Island for three weeks and so far, she’d managed to catch enough small animals to survive without resorting to the Island’s infamous poison berries. She held the raccoon up, examining it for the best place to start skinning it, when she heard a slight rustle. She leapt high onto a hidden branch and perked up her ears. Her eyes narrowed, studying the man who emerged from the brush. He wore beige tatters, the remnants of a retired Horde prisoner uniform. His hair was salt-and-pepper colored and cut short; his long beard, though, was a stark black. 

“Hello,” He looked directly at her hiding spot, but Catra knew he couldn’t see her. “I know you’ve set up camp here. Look, I’m not here to fight…” He raised his arms and chuckled. “I come in peace. Not a lot of people survive this long on the island. The last ship was two weeks ago, so I know you’ve at least survived that long.” 

She jumped down, the raccoon still hanging from her hand. “Three weeks actually.”

He smiled. “Impressive.” 

“What do you want?”

“I noticed that you haven’t managed to start a fire since you’ve been here. I thought you might appreciate having a cooked meal. Plus, it gets cold here at night.”

“If you think I’m going to…” Catra narrowed her eyes and took a step back. 

“Oh no. I mean, I could start a fire for you. That’s all. God, my daughter is probably about your age now.” 

“Fine.” Catra flattened her ears. “Then what’s in it for you?” 

He smiled. “Like I said. Not many people last this long out here. I could use the company.” He pulled out a small pouch and poured a line of blue sand on Catra’s abandoned pile of firewood. 

Catra yelped. “What is that?”

The man looked up worried. “Everything ok? It’s just like a magic starter. There’s some on the island that I’ve collected. Don’t worry--”

“Put it away! Put it away. I don’t want to be near that.” Catra shook her hand and stumbled backwards until she felt the spikes of a tree’s bark against her back. She clutched behind her to feel it press hard against her palms. 

The man scooped the crystals into his pouch, and closed it in one movement. “What’s wrong? Are you ok?”

“What is that stuff?” Catra said, eyes flicking to the pouch he held in his hand. 

“It’s ok. I’m a sorcerer. It just helps to jumpstart my magic.” 

“A sorcerer? Of course.” Catra’s eyes narrowed from widened fear to hate. “You’re one of them. You deserve to be here.” She spat. 

He took a step back and put his hands forward. “Look. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m trying to help you.” 

Catra shook her head again. “You can’t help me. Magic only hurts me.” She saw him look down and take in her Horde uniform.

“I take it you met Shadow Weaver then.” 

“How do you know?” 

“Shadow Weaver hurt a lot of people.” He said, “You’re not alone.”

Catra looked down.

“Hey,” he said a note of reassurance in his voice. “I know how to make a fire without magic. It’ll just take a little more time.”

Catra noticed that her tail had wrapped around her knee. She sheepishly unfurled it as her hand came to the back of her neck. “Ok. Cool. Sounds good.” 

\--

The man had brought along his own skinned squirrel, so Catra wouldn’t have to share her catch. She was grateful, since she had assumed that sharing that hot meal he talked about would be part of the bargain. But instead, he built the fire and pulled his own catch from another pouch and handed Catra a sharpened stick. 

They quietly tore pieces off of their prey and roasted small chunks over the fire until they were tender. By the time the sun began to set, Catra’s stomach was full. She looked down at the rest of her catch. She had over half of it left. She glanced at the man who hadn’t spoken since explaining how long to roast the meat when he gave her the stick. His squirrel had been a measly portion. She felt a pang of guilt in her chest. “Hey,” She said, as she tore her catch in half. “Take this. I won’t be able to eat all of this before it goes bad.” 

He nodded as he took the meat. “Thank you.” He paused looking at her. “What’s your name?” 

“Catra.” She said, not having the energy to lie. “What’s yours?”

“Micah.”


	2. A New Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra learns a little more about her new friend.

They fell into a comfortable routine. Catra would hunt at night while Micah maintained their shelter, building fires, casting small spells to repel insects and rain and hide them from the strange creatures that lurked the island. Catra had begun to allow him to perform magic as long as he did it while she was away. Every time she caught a glimpse of those granular crystals, she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Micah even taught her how to build a fire without magic. She could have abandoned him after learning that skill, but she found that she had begun to enjoy the company as well. She and Micah would talk as they ate her catch for the day. Micah told stories about Light Spinner, his mentor and teacher. He told her about her intense ambition and insecurities. “It’s important to know that this doesn’t excuse who she is or what she’s done. But, it does matter that everything she did to you, she didn’t do because of anything you were or weren’t. She did it because of who she is.” He had told her one time.

She hadn’t told him everything about Shadow Weaver, but somehow he seemed to know. He had told her it was because her emotions all read very clearly on her face, which seemed to bridge any gap in their communication.

One morning as he rigged her latest kill into the roasting cage he built over their fire, he finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind since they’d met. “Catra, the last time you were off this island, did you hear anything about the queen and princess of Brightmoon?”

“What about them?” She asked, nose wrinkled in half a snarl.

“Are they still alive? Are they ok? Just anything you might know about them.” He tried to hide the urgency in his voice, but judging by the way Catra’s ears swiveled, she had heard it.

“Why do you care about the queen and princess of Brightmoon?”

“I was from Brightmoon…” He started.

“No, that’s not all.” Catra interrupted. “You know them. Somehow. How do you…” She thought for a second. _God, my daughter is probably about your age now_. “No,” She whispered.

“I’m just asking as a citizen.” It came out halfway, like he knew it didn’t matter.

“Oh, stop. You’re her dad aren’t you?” Catra felt her throat close and her pulse quicken. She inhaled through her nose quickly.

“Who?” The innocence waned from his voice even as he tried.

“Glimmer,” She whispered. _She couldn’t have anything_. She looked at his eyes, suddenly seeing another set of eyes just like them. Of course. She turned away, jaw stiff.

“Yes,” he said seriously. “I haven’t seen my wi…”

“They’re alive.” Catra said quickly. “They’re alive, and your daughter restarted the Princess Alliance.”

Micah’s eyes widened, full of tears. He pursed his lips, restraining himself, sensing that his emotions could draw her away. “Thank you,” he said after a moment, “for telling me.”

“How long,” Catra’s eyes were trained on a root by Micah’s foot, “have you been here? When did you get captured?”

He sighed. “Fifteen years ago. My daughter had just turned five.” He shook his head. He wondered what her smile looked like, how she would wear her hair. It was pink, he remembered, like her mother’s. “It was when the Magicats fell. You must have been what? Five, six?”

She looked up at him. “Magicats? No, I’ve been with the Horde for as long as I can remember.” She shook her head.

He tilted his head looking at her. “How old are you now? You must have been about six. You should have a few memories of them…” 

Catra’s lip curled as she shook her head at him. “No, I don’t know what you’re even talking about.”

“Oh wow,” He breathed. “Shadow Weaver must have perfected her memory meddling. I knew that would be dangerous. Look, I think there are some things in your past that she’s hidden from you. I could help you remember them, just the good things?” He offered.

She lifted her forearm in a defensive stance. “No, I don’t want you to do that.”

“Okay, Catra,” He put up his hands. “I won’t. Not until you trust me.”

“Ok,” Catra shook her shoulders trying to be casual. “So, what’s a Magicat?”

He smiled. “Oh Magicats! One of my favorite cultures. Such nice places to visit. Well, Magicats are… you! Hmmm…” He rested his chin on his hand. “Well, at least half of you. Magicats are just a tad… cattier. You could be half human, or princess, who knows!” His voice lifted with excitement.

Catra growled as she said, “ugh, princesses,” under her breath. Her snarl turned to a smirk as she saw him smiling at her. “Ok, fine. Go on.”

He beamed. “Ok, Magicats are a fascinating race, hyperintelligent, some of the greatest technologists were magicats, and some of the greatest writers and artists too-- Ticyr, Mislilha, and Cyrra the Great. Catra, Magicats were an advanced race, almost reached the levels of the First Ones at one point in their history!”

“What happened?” She said.

“Well, like all great nations there are flourishing victories and deafening defeats!” He shook a fist in the air.

“You’re so dramatic.”

“Am I? Or am I excited about history! I could teach you some of it. Tell you stories about your people. It would make a great way to pass the time.”

“What else am I going to do on this island?” She said crossing her arms.

“Good!” He said, eagerly rummaging through his pouches, pulling a long roll of handmade parchment from a bright yellow pouch. “I’ve been saving this one for such an occasion. I’m going to write a timeline!”

She looked over her shoulder at him as she ducked into her tent. He had settled the parchment on a rock and was using an exceptionally straight stick to meticulously trace a line at the bottom of the page. Catra had a few hours to sleep before night fell and she needed to go out again to hunt. As she lay on her side on her cot, she examined her fingers, retracting and extending her claws lazily. _Magicats_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one! I was so excited to get 3 comments in one day that it inspired me to write this chapter this morning. Enjoy, comment and please subscribe and bookmark. 
> 
> The next chapter should be about 3x this long, so there's a lot more coming up. My Tumblr is @she-rainbow if you want to ask any questions about the fic.


	3. An Unlikely Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glimmer and Bow talk to Adora about her decision, meanwhile Catra's two not-best friends try to relate. Also subtitled, Adora doesn't know how to have serious conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a shorter chapter than I wanted to upload, but I thought I could break the chapter here so that I could update sooner. Life's been crazy. It's my birthday this week, and I had a community theatre performance this weekend and family came into town. Needless to say, I didn't have a whole lot of writing time. This is just an Adora chapter, and I'm not 100% happy with it. Keep with me though, because there are some awesome Catra and Micah scenes coming up very soon for those of you who have been enjoying those interactions.

Adora tilted her head, feeling her muscles tighten and stretch as she worked out a crick in her neck. She rolled her shoulders back trying to focus. She hadn’t let up her transformation since getting on the boat a few weeks ago, and her She-Ra form didn’t make sleeping easy. Plus, she kept feeling the sneaking presence of shadows around her. She tried to shake them off, but they felt too real. Being She-Ra made her feel more prepared, more ready for disaster to strike. She still wasn't sure if Scorpia was telling the truth or luring her into a trap, or if Shadow Weaver was really following here, or if Catra… Well, she couldn’t think about Catra. It was too much.

She’d been exceptionally quiet for the entire trip, only speaking to voice an idea or make a decision. She moved blithely around the boat, tightening sails, tracking directions, her body almost working independent of her mind, which was far, far away. She couldn’t shake her last conversation with Glimmer and Bow.  
-  
She had been frantically packing a bag when Glimmer appeared suddenly in the room, a light trail of purple sparkles trickling to the floor. “Where are you going?”

“You know where I’m going.” She said not looking up. She slammed a rolled up undershirt into the bag. She immediately went back to rolling up a short stack of the shirts, her brows furrowed all the while.

“You can’t be serious, Adora.”

Adora halted her furious folding long enough to fix Glimmer in a blank stare. “I’m going.”

“We were about to leave for the Crimson Waste!” Glimmer yelled.

“We’ll have to go when I get back.” Adora said.

“When you get back?” Glimmer shrieked.

“Is that such a good idea, Adora?” Bow had walked into the room soundlessly; Adora wasn’t sure when.

“What?”

“Well,” Bow started, “We really need to chase these clues while there’s still something to chase; half of the moons rotate to the far side of the planet soon, and it won’t be a while until we get another opportunity.”

“Fine, you and Glimmer go,” Adora said matter-of-factly as she put another pair of socks in her bag. She looked up at their admonished faces and shrugged. “I’m no good at all that riddle stuff. You don’t need me.”

“Don’t? Need? You?” Glimmer’s voice lifted. “Of course we need you! You’re SHE-RA. Or have you forgotten?”

Adora looked down and squared her shoulders. “I never forget that I’m She-Ra, Glimmer.” She breathed, holding her shoulders tight. “but I have to do this.”

“Why Adora? Why do you need to risk your skin, all of our skins for…” Glimmer closed her mouth and scoffed, “Ugh, Adora. This is crazy.”

“It does seem suspicious” Bow said, “that Catra is all of a sudden on this deadly island, and the person who wants to take you to her is also in the Horde.”

“It’s not. This isn’t Catra’s kind of trick.” Adora said.

“It wouldn’t be the first time she’s used herself to lure you out to…” Bow started, but paused when he caught the glare Adora shot at him.

“It’s exactly Catra’s kind of trick, Adora.” Glimmer folded her arms and fixed Adora in a glare of her own. “How can you not see that?”

“Because what if it’s not a trap?” Adora said. “I could never…”

“Yea?” Glimmer asked. “What if it’s not a trap? What are you going to do with her, Adora? Bring her back to Brightmoon?” Glimmer’s breath came out in exasperation. “She attacked Brightmoon. She led the attack on Thaymore. She kidnapped me!” She breathed heavily then, stopping herself. She looked at Bow with tears in her eyes. “...and Bow. She kidnapped me and Bow, convinced Entrapta to join the Horde, infected your sword…” She looked back at Adora who wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Adora,” She started again quietly. “Maybe we’d all be better off if she stayed on that island.”

Adora’s voice cracked. “I can’t leave her there, Glimmer. I have to try.”

Glimmer shook her head. “Don’t come back here with her.” She said with a scowl before teleporting out of the room.

Bow bit his lip, looking at Adora who had already set her brow in determination as she stuffed her pillow into the too small duffel. “We’re going to go to the Crimson Waste. Let’s meet back in here when we’re done, and recap.” He put a hand on Adora’s shoulder.

  
The corner of her mouth quirked up. “Thanks Bow,” She said pulling him into a hug.  
\--  
Adora shook herself from the memory and glanced across the deck at Scorpia and Sea Hawk singing a sea shanty. They were a few days out from Beast Island if their chart was on course. She looked out at the horizon and took a deep breath of sea air, steeling herself.

Sea Hawk and Scorpia were perfect travel companions for one another--easily sliding from casual conversation to excited giggling to busily completing the days’ tasks side by side in perfect comfort. They had met before, Adora had put together. She had been there, apparently, but she couldn’t remember. Meanwhile, Sea Hawk was too distracted to notice Adora’s withdrawn nature, and Scorpia was trying her hardest to not look at Adora too long. She hadn’t made eye contact since she’d asked Adora to come with her. A few days was a long time for Adora to keep to herself, and she and Scorpia would need to trust each other if they were going to rescue Catra.

She crossed the deck toward them… “Hey Sea Hawk?” Adora said. “Could you check on the boiler room? The hot water isn’t running, and I think it needs your captain’s touch to fix it.”

Sea Hawk’s eyes lit up as he raised a fist to the bright sky. “Absolutely! I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Adora had switched the hot water off. She figured by the time Sea Hawk had tried a million different ways to fix it before thinking to check the switch, she would have at least a few minutes to talk to Scorpia. She just hoped it didn’t cost her hot water for the next few days.

“Hey Scorpia,” Adora said, leaning against the railing as casually as possible.

“Oh,” Scorpia smiled despite herself. “Hi Adora.”

Adora examined the force captain. Scorpia and Queen Angella were the only people Adora had ever met who were as tall as She-Ra. Standing next to this marble-esque woman with her sharp chin and muscular frame was enough to make Adora, even as a legendary goddess warrior, feel inadequate somehow.

Finally, Scorpia returned Adora’s gaze out of the corner of her eye. “What?”

“Scorpia, I think we should start getting to know each other. If we want this mission to be a success, we need to at least trust each other.”

Scorpia tilted her head. “Do you not trust me?” She didn’t look hurt or offended, just curious.

Adora wasn’t sure if she should put all her cards on the table. “I… I wasn’t sure. I’m still not sure, not completely anyway.” She hesitated, then gained her composure to change the subject. “Why did you ask me to come, really?” Adora said. “Just coming to Brightmoon was dangerous enough, but you specifically asked _me_ to help you. Why? You could have done this on your own. You don’t _need_ my help, and if you had gone alone, you would’ve gotten all the glory for it. I guess I just don’t get it.”

Scorpia sighed and looked away for a second. “You’re right, I probably could have done this alone, but there’s a chance I couldn’t. With you, I know we’ll be able to rescue Catra. You’re a legendary goddess warrior! It’s what you do.”

Adora looked over the railing now and swallowed a lump in her throat that she hadn’t felt forming. She nodded.

“I don’t think I wanted all the glory for it anyway.” Scorpia said after a moment.

“Why not?” Adora asked.

“Because it doesn’t matter. I’ve tried so hard. But, I could go to the ends of the earth for that girl, and she wouldn’t notice me.” She rested her elbow on the railing and propped up her head with her claw. “Not like she notices you.”

“Are you kidding me? Catra hates me.” Adora said low.

Scorpia looked at Adora and raised an eyebrow. “You actually believe that?”

Adora leaned further down on the railing. “I guess I’m not sure of anything.”

“So, that’s why you agreed? So Catra wouldn’t hate you anymore?” Scorpia asked.

Adora sighed this time. “Helping Catra isn’t going to make her stop hating me. If anything it might make her hate me more. I just… I’ve lost Catra just about every way I could. I don’t want to lose her again. Not like this. Not when I could have done something.” She saw a shadow pass over the corner of her vision. She jumped back, sword suddenly in hand.

Scorpia backed into the railing. “Woah, what’s wrong? What’s happening?”

Adora lowered her sword, looking around. “I thought I saw…”

“Shadow Weaver?” Scorpia guessed. “You know Catra acted the same way. What is you guy’s deal with her anyway?”

Adora shook her head, then turned around as she heard an excited Sea Hawk. “Adora! Would you believe? The switch for the water was just turned off! Luckily, I was there to identify the problem.”

“Great, Sea Hawk, thanks.” Adora said, her voice still faraway.

“Scorpia! I’ve thought of the most rousing sea shanty! Would you like to join, Adora?”

Adora looked up slowly and smiled slightly to shake off the cold feeling down her spine. She clenched and unclenched her fists. “Yeah, sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy. I've got to admit, I'm most at a loss about characterizing Scorpia, especially when she gets serious, since that's not a side of her we see too often on the show. 
> 
> Please bookmark, subscribe and comment! I love hearing from you. It helps motivate me to keep going. 
> 
> Tumblr: she-rainbow


	4. A Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpia and Adora are closer than ever to finding Catra, but Micah and Catra might beat them to the punch with a plan of their own. Meanwhile, Catra makes a decision about her future, and her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long to update. I got a bit of writer's block on this one, and it's much longer than previous chapters, but I really wanted all of these scenes to be in the same chapter, so I had to wait until I could work through my writer's block. Anyway, the next chapter is already half finished, so that'll be updating very soon! Enjoy
> 
> One thing I need to point out, I messed up my timeline and worked out something from later chapters. Micah was captured when Glimmer had just turned five, 15 years ago. Everything else should remain the same. I edited Ch 2 to fix it, if you're interested in going back. 
> 
> Note: Yeah, I know I'm ripping something directly from the Odyssey. Literature is just the recreation of the Hero's Journey, so I I don't feel bad. Call it an allusion or a cross-over episode.

The leaves on Beast Island were always covered in water droplets in the dawn light Catra noticed as she trekked back to the campsite. As she lifted a large, purple palm with the back of her hand, a small stream spattered from the rib of the leaf and landed across the bridge of her nose. She winced and shook her head. Beast Island’s air was heavier, drenched with humidity that kept her clothes sticking to her skin. The only reprieve was during her night hunting, when the absence of the brightest moons allowed the wetness to condense, sinking heavy water all around them. She trudged forward, ducking beneath branches and leaving them undisturbed. Finally, as she reached the bushes before the clearing, she scaled the cliff protecting the camp’s left side and effortlessly evaded Micah’s booby traps. 

She landed on the edge of the dirt surrounding their hideout soundlessly. She stopped.  

Micah stood with his back to her and his hands wide, directing teal energy around him. The air around him pulsed as drops of water began to materialize. The pulsing quickened until he looked caught in a calm storm, drops circling him slowly and reflecting pinpricks of golden light. He waved his hand, and the droplets followed, melding and congealing until the clear water levitated in front of him in one liquid cloud. He directed the water into a wooden jug that lie at his feet where it disappeared from sight with a small splash. 

Catra blinked as her eyes adjusted back to the low dusk light from the bright nebula that had just gone. The air felt cool and dry on her skin. She noticed that her chest rose and fell before she realized she was breathing. She smiled at the revelation. 

Micah turned as he scooped the remaining energy crystals into a red pouch the size of a teaspoon. He widened his eyes in alarm. “Catra, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you were back; I must have lost track of ti…” He tilted his head. 

Catra’s eyes were wide and shining, her eyebrows knit in a smooth furrow. “I’m ok, really. It was actually kind of…” She paused and pursed her lips before continuing, “pretty.” 

He just beamed at her. “I’m glad you think so.” 

She looked away and tossed a small squirrel in front of him. “I…” her voice quivered slightly. “...I didn’t catch much today. I tried, but...” 

“Ah,” Micah picked up the squirrel carefully. He looked at Catra’s profile, chin pointed down and ears pinned flat against her head. He cheerily jutted out his stomach and rubbed his free hand with it. “I’m still so full from yesterday. I won’t eat much anyway. You can have most of this one.” He saw her glance at him from the corner of her eye. He tossed the squirrel back at her to skin it. “I think you’re going to like today’s story! I know how you like the explorers.”

Catra shook her head and smirked as she began to separate meat from skin with her claws. “What? I do not. I don’t even care about your dumb stories.”

Micah crossed his arms as he walked toward the fire. “Right, right. You’re just helping me remember everything so I can fill out this timeline.” He sat in front of the fire and began to tend it with a skinny branch. With his other hand, he spread the long roll of parchment to his side, reading his notes. 

Catra collapsed into a cross-legged seat next to him, still working the flesh away from the fur.  

“It all begins, aboard the Valyi, the fastest warship in the world.” Micah lifted his arms dramatically, fire poker still clenched in one fist. 

“Warship?” Catra scoffed and stopped her task to look at him. “I thought you said this was about an explorer?”

Micah looked at her through his still raised arms and lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, look who all of a sudden cares if it’s about an explorer.” 

Catra ripped hard at the squirrel and closed one eye hard as the tiniest drops of blood flung onto her cheek. “Whatever, just keep going.” 

“Ok, Uthuze wasn’t quite an explorer. More of an army commander, but not in this particular story. In this story, she’s trying to make her way back home from a long and arduous war.” He heard Catra click her tongue and looked up to see her rolling her eyes. He continued. “Her crew had just barely managed to sail past a vicious sea monster. Over half of her crew had been caught by the creature’s tentacles or devoured by the whirlpool she created with her gigantic, fanged mouth.” 

“Queue the theatrics,” Catra muttered under her breath.

“Finally completely blown off course, Uthuze’s ship found itself on the shore of a seemingly abandoned island…” 

“Let me guess, not so abandoned.” 

Micah beamed. “Not. so. Abandoned.” He raised a finger. “That’s right. The island belonged to an immortal First Ones sorceress named Cerci who had been banished for wielding her powers to help humans.” 

“Sounds like a lame reason to banish someone…” 

“Ah, yes. But her time on her island made her cynical and cruel. She invited the weary, sea-tossed crew into her home on the island and prepared a feast with fountains of flowing wine. When the crew had had their fill, the enchantment in the wine began to take shape. Uthuze and all of her crew had become pigs.” 

Catra snorted. “What? Why?

“Because,” Micah said matter-of-factly, “Cerci’s time on her island made her cynical and cruel. But listen. She herded the new pigs out to her barn, and Uthuze saw other herds, larger than her own, already grazing in the pen.” 

“Shocker.” 

“That night as the sun went down. Cerci brought Uthuze back into her home and gave Uthuze an offer. She would release her crew, if Uthuze promised to stay on the island with her.” 

“Hmm,” Catra hummed at that. “Are you sure this Uthuze is the hero of the story? I’m beginning to root for Cerci.” She narrowed her eyes and smirked. 

Micah tilted his head and smirked back. “Can I keep going?”

Catra wrinkled her nose. “Ok, go on.” 

Micah cleared his throat. “What do you think Uthuze said?” She just raised her eyebrows at him in response. He continued, “She agreed, and Cerci took a potion from the highest shelf and transformed Uthuze back into a Magicat. But that night after Cerci had gone to sleep, she staged a breakout and sailed her ship to the other side of the island. Then, she took from the highest shelf the potion that would transform her into a pig and joined her crew in the stockyard.

“The next morning, Cerci was furious that her beloved had betrayed her, and she immediately set sail from where she had last seen Uthuze’s ship docked. When the witch left the island, Uthuze and her crew of pigs ran to the other side of the island and boarded the ship where Uthuze had hidden the antidote to the potion that she’d seen Cerci use the night before.”

“Poor Cerci,” Catra clicked her tongue only half joking. She started tearing off pieces of her squirrel, putting them on a stake and leaning them into the flames of their campfire. Catra stared into it as her meat began to brown. MIcah’s story continued, but the rest sounded like a blur as she contemplated Cerci. “That gives me an idea…” Catra mused. 

“An idea for what?” Micah raised an eyebrow. 

Catra scoffed. “An idea for afternoon tea. To escape, obviously!”

Micah chewed on his lip. “No one has ever escaped Beast Island, Catra.”

“I know.” Catra narrowed her eyes, thinking. “We don’t have to escape. Not at first anyway. We can just make it look like we did!” Of course, why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? “The Horde uses sensors to signal alarms, and nearly every door is armed. I could trigger an alarm, have them think a Horde ship already escaped. Hide in plain sight, just like Uthuze.”  

“There’s a shipyard of old rebellion ships out the bay. While they’re busy tracing the fake escapees…” Micah widened his eyes. 

Catra smirked. “We can make them think we escaped in a totally different direction.” She folded her arms smuggly. 

Micah clapped her arms with his hands excitedly, a small tear rolling down his eye. “I think we could do this, Catra.” 

\--

Adora was the first to spot the island. She stood on the bow of the ship and gazed far out at the crystal blue sea that seemed to stretch endlessly. Her stomach felt heavy as the high, spiked tree line of Beast Island’s rainforest came into view, a reminder that she would see Catra again soon, for better or worse. Before long she would find out for certain whether Scorpia had been telling the truth or Catra had bested her once again by wielding their estrangement like a weapon. Adora remembered Scorpia’s wild concern, how it had struck her right in the chest. There was a time when she had cared for Catra that intensely, urged to protect her as fiercely.

Scorpia hadn’t held back her feelings, even a little as she pled with her enemies to help her find Catra. Something about her frantic worry had made Adora hope she could be trusted. 

"You've got to transform back," Scorpia broke Adora out if her thoughts.

Adora narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "I'm not doing that. Plus, I thought you wanted She-Ra's help." Now though, it was sounding more like a trap. 

Scorpia tilted her head back and forth, making her hair flop as she thought about her words. "I do. But I'm going to try talking to the guard post first. I'm a Force Captain; they might tell us where she is on the island. You've already got a Horde uniform. You can just come with me."

Adora twisted her mouth in concern. "I think every person in the Horde probably knows how to spot me regardless."

"From what I tell, the guards here are pretty ill-equipped. The Horde mostly relies on the ocean and an anti-magic force field to keep prisoners here." Scorpia explained. 

"And the seas here are treacherous!" Sea Hawk exclaimed as a particularly violent wave sent him careening into the railing next to them. He steadied himself and grinned. "How can I help?"

"Stay by the boat," Adora commanded as she transformed down and turned the sword into a pin she affixed to the inside of her jacket. "In case we need a quick escape."

"This might help a little," Scorpia said, tossing Adora a dark cloak.

Adora raised her eyebrows as she swung it around her shoulders and put it on. "I have a feeling this just looks more suspicious." She said as she lifted the hood and cast a shadow over her eyes.” 

Scorpia sratched her chin. "Yeah, maybe just do something different to your hair instead?"

Adora took off the cloak and let her hair down, fluffing it with her hand as it fell to her shoulders. 

"Oh,” Scorpia exclaimed as she riffled through her pocket, “and I brought Catra's badge. I thought if we both looked like force captains we could get more information." Scorpia said dropping it in Adora's hand.

Adora swallowed as she wrapped her fingers around the badge. She tried her best to keep her face unperturbed as she pinned it in front of her sword. 

Scorpia nodded satisfied. "Great, let's go."

\--

“Code… um, what’s the latest one? XD582…” Scorpia announced to the guard who was busily watching screens inside the Horde watch tower. The walls were the familiar suffocating green of the Fright Zone, and Adora tried not to feel them closing in on her as they made their way through the building. 

“You here to fix our messaging signal?” the guard glanced at them, feet propped up on the computer board. 

“No, um we’re looking for a particular prisoner. Could you tell us where they are?” Scorpia asked. Adora dug her toe into the ground, trying her best to keep her face down and hair in her face to not arouse suspicion. 

The guard puttered. “Probably. Long as it ain’t those ones who just escaped…” 

Adora whipped her head up. “Escaped? No one’s ever escaped Beast Island.” 

The guard crossed their arms. “I know, thanks. They fucked with our tech signals on their way out, so we can’t send an update to Hordak. We haven’t been able to get anyone to come fix it. You know, since we can’t send anything to anyone. Knocked down our force field too. Lots of prisoners gonna escape apparating the hell away from her.” They lifted their hands in defeat, feet still propped on the dash. 

“Who escaped?” Adora asked unable to contain herself. One fist clenched and unclenched on her side, while the other fiddled underneath her Force Captain badge. 

“Oh, it’s a doozy,” the guard said in a thoroughly unimpressed voice. “Former second-in-command and a uh…” the guard coughed remembering themself, “classified prisoner.” 

Scorpia and Adora shared the briefest of glances the guard was too uninterested to see. “Classified?” Adora asked furrowing her eyebrows. “We’re force captains, you can’t tell us who the prisoner was?” She tried to ignore the pinpricks she felt on her forearms at her lie. 

“Like I said. Classified.” the guard spun away from them in their chair. 

Scorpia had already started to leave, stuttering “thank you for your time. Have a great day.” when Adora had a sudden thought. 

“You said you haven’t reported the security breach to the Fright Zone?” Adora asked. The guard just nodded. “Ok don’t, we’ll report it back to Hordak, and send a team to fix your signal.” The guard just shrugged a thanks in reply. 

They bustled out of the security tower and didn’t say anything until they’d left the gates of the outpost and had been walking on the beach for a while. 

Finally Adora sighed. “She escaped.” She grinned and added softly, “typical Catra.” 

“Why would she leave?” Scorpia looked at Adora with wide, shining eyes. “Surely she knew we were coming for her.”

Adora shook her head. “Catra’s not great at playing damsel in distress, so no, I don’t think she expected anyone to come looking for her.” 

“Well, she’ll probably get back before we do, so we should…” Scorpia started.

Adora’s feet skidded to a halt in the sand. “Back at the Fright Zone?” Her voice shifted up at the end. 

Scorpia turned around and just looked at Adora blankly. 

“Why would she go back to the Fright Zone? Hordak’s the one who sent her here.” Adora nearly shouted before remembering the small distance that separated them from the guard tower. “I’m not following you to the Fright Zone,” She whispered urgently. 

The scowl Scorpia shot Adora didn’t look right on her kind face. “Look I know Catra better than anyone, and I know she’s heading back to the Fright Zone. She’s going to be looking for me, so I’m going back to the Fright Zone to find her!”  

“Fine,” Adora unclipped the green badge from her collar and threw it into the sand. “But I’m not going with you.” 

Scorpia’s scowl melted at the gesture, and she looked worried. “How are you going to leave the island then?” 

Adora had already transfigured the pin back to her sword and grasped the handle tightly enough to turn her knuckles white. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got it, and _I’m_ going to find Catra because there’s no way she’s going back to the Fright Zone.” Adora said a little too confidently. 

Scorpia looked like she could scream. “Where else would she go?” 

\--

“I can’t believe you’re sailing us to Brightmoon first.” Micah called up to Catra as she tightened the ropes of one of the sails. 

“Believe it.” She sighed and jumped up to check another rafter. “Mushy family reunion, coming right up.” 

He smiled, watching her work. “You’re good at this. You like sailing?” 

“What can I say, you inspired me.” She yelled down.  

“Really.” 

“Seems like as good a way as any to see the world. Plus Magicats have been doing it for centuries. Maybe it’s in my blood.” She mimicked a noble pose, then broke out of it in a small fit of laughter. 

Micah smiled and called up to her. “You seem excited. Anyone you’re hoping to see in Brightmoon?”

Catra’s next leap faltered, and she slid down a pole for a few feet before digging in her heels to stop her descent. She leaned off the pole, casually. “No, of course not.” She took one hand off her perch to point at her chest. “I was a Horde soldier remember? There’s nothing for me in Brightmoon.” She looked above him to the horizon. The sun was beginning to set. 

“Alright, alright. Well, then I appreciate you making the detour for me. I’m sure you’re eager to get to wherever it is you’re going.” He raised an eyebrow at her, a question. 

She blanched. “I… I’m not sure where I’m going after this.” She admitted.

“Ok. Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need to. Until you figure out where you want to be,” He offered. 

She exhaled. Stay in Brightmoon? That was a laugh. “I think you’ll be the only one who will feel that way, Your Highness,” She tried to make her voice sound light-hearted; it didn’t.  

“You just let me take care of that.” He smiled with a chuckle. “Eternia, you’re the person who rescued their King from Beast Island. I think they’d let you stay if you were Lord Hordak himself.” 

She jumped down from her perch and landed next to him. “I didn’t rescue you. You brought down the magical defenses, found the shipyard, sailed the ship out…”

“Catra, I was on that Island for 15 years. If I could have done it on my own before now, don’t you think I would have?” He said seriously, but the side of his mouth crinkled in a dimple. 

Catra pursed her lips to one side, thinking. “I guess that’s true.”

“Thank you for everything.” Micah said, as a humble twinkle shone in his eye. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave a sweet squeeze. She leaned into the touch, slightly enough he thought he imagined it at first.  

She pinched her eyes shut tightly before opening them to ask, “You really think they’d let me stay in Brightmoon?” 

“Just let me have a conversation with my wife… and my daughter.” He finished eyeing her. The slightest twitch in Catra’s jaw betrayed her. 

“What is she like?” Micah prodded. “You seem to know one another.” 

Catra instinctively felt for the cheekbone where she could still sometimes remember the fist of a certain sparkly princess. “Hot-headed. Impulsive.” Catra said simply. “And stubborn. Naive.” She looked at him, forgetting herself for a moment. “But… I’ll give her.” She thought about it hard. “She seems to be really loyal... to her friends.” Her voice felt faraway. 

“Hmmm,” Micah raised an eyebrow again. “That sounds familiar.” 

Catra crossed her arms. “And she’s really… sparkly.” She paused. “That we don’t have in common.” 

“And my wife… is she still my wife?” He asked, the sincerity rich in his voice. “Or has she… moved on?”

“Ew! I don’t know anything about the Queen’s love life.” She shrieked and punched him on the shoulder.

“I guess that makes sense.” He said, leaning on the ship’s railing and looking up at the horizon. His eyes glazed over with memories. 

“But…” She whispered, coming to lean next to him. “Between you and me, when I was in Brightmoon, I didn’t see anyone there that you couldn’t take. You’re a rugged escapee from Beast Island, I’m sure she’d leave any pretty boy for you.” 

He laughed, boldly and loudly, snapping from his haze. “I’m glad to have your support.” He paused, breaking his gaze from the horizon to look at her. “And you have my support.” He wrapped an arm around her. “Always.” 

She felt herself start to flinch away, but found herself leaning into his hug instead. “Thanks. I’m gonna need it when we get to Brightmoon.” 

They both watched the sun dip below the sea line. “MIcah?” Catra turned toward him as the sun became a tiny sliver above the ocean. “Do you think you could try to get my memories back?”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was all queued up to do an actual breakout scene, but I just wanted to get this show on the road. Maybe I'll eventually write it as a one-shot caper. In the meantime, use your imagination. 
> 
> Good news, finishing this story is what I've set up as my writing project on Camp Nanowrimo. I should have all the chapters of this fic finished by the end of July. I'm just trying to get myself on a writing schedule and focusing on something fun like this is a good way to start. 
> 
> I am looking to improve, so well intended constructive criticism is appreciated if you have any to share, but I'm also happy to just hear that you read it and enjoyed it in the comments too. Thanks!
> 
> Tumblr: @she-rainbow. I mostly just reblog fanart of Catra and Adora glaring at each other.


	5. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Normally leery of magic, Catra entrusts Micah with helping her revisit forgotten memories of her family. In the process, Micah uncovers another memory that gives Catra more than she bargained for. 
> 
> Excerpt (spoiler alert [but you're gonna read it soon anyway])
> 
> His eye crinkled as he smiled, but then it faded. He brushed back a lock of her hair and sighed. “Catra, there was another memory.” 
> 
> She tilted her head. “What do you mean?” 
> 
> “It was later, from when you were older. Probably about three years ago or so. I was looking at all the memories you were seeing, to make sure you were seeing the right things, but then this memory began…” His voice was serious and sad. “It seemed private, so I immediately stopped. I didn’t want to give it back to you since we hadn’t talked about it first. But I wanted to ask if you wanted to see it. There’s a way I can give it back to you without seeing it myself.” 
> 
> Her eyebrows set, furrowed. “What was it about?” 
> 
> “I’m not sure.” He started. “I just know that it had to do with your friend, blonde, kind of tall.” 
> 
> Of course it was Adora. It was always Adora. Catra looked down at the hands she hadn’t realized she was wringing. “What about her?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter so much. I'm excited to be able to post it, but also sad that once it's in the ether, I likely won't revisit it. Enjoy, and please comment if you like what you read. It helps me stay motivated to write more, so thanks to everyone who already commented. Ya'll rock. 
> 
> Alright ya'll, there is a little parental abuse stuff at the end. It's a little mild (for She-Ra), and I imagine you'll see it coming, so be safe if that sort of stuff can be triggering for you.

Catra lay back on the slab. Micah had placed a thin layer of magic on the rough wood to mimic the texture of a soft fabric padding. Catra stretched, placing her hands behind her neck and pointing her elbows skyward. The sky was a sea of deep navy. Micah said the memories would feel like dreams--some she would see through her own eyes, some she would see as though she were a bystander floating in a corner. She glanced over at Micah. The sorcerer was stirring a strange orangish liquid in a wooden pot. The night sky’s reflection shone blue on Micah’s face, making the colors around him swirl. 

He caught her watching him. “Feeling ok?” 

She looked back up at the sky and nodded. “So, it’s just going to feel like I’m asleep?” 

“Not exactly. It’ll be a little more intense than sleeping, or your average sleep anyway. You’ll feel the emotions more intensely than a dream, since they are memories. It’ll be a bit like reliving it.” Micah explained

“Like a nightmare?” She’d had plenty of experience there. Nothing I can’t handle, she thought. 

“Well hopefully not exactly, but it is more vivid than your average dream, especially the emotions,” He said with a chuckle. He looked down and continued to stir the potion. “You let me know if you’re having second thoughts.” He flicked his eyes back up to see her reaction. 

She kept her stare to the sky. “No, I want to do this.” Her voice was just above a whisper. 

Micah hummed. “Alright, hands down. Close your eyes.” He brought the bowl over to Catra’s side and sat down on a chair he’d put by the bench. 

She glanced at the bowl one last time as she dropped her hands to her side. She smiled and looked back up, steeling herself. “It’ll be cool to finally meet them.” She said. 

Micah smiled, eyes still trained on the bowl in his hand. “They were pretty amazing.” 

Catra lifted up on an elbow and stared at him with wide eyes. “You knew them?” She shrieked with a laugh, “and you didn’t tell me!”

“Well,” he admitted shrugging. “I'm not sure exactly, but I've got a pretty good guess. You’re the spitting image of Melendi and the right age; I can’t imagine that you aren’t his daughter. So if you are who I think you are, then yes I knew your parents." 

She was sitting up now, mouth hanging open, cool demeanor forgotten. Micah just chuckled at her. “I'll be able to confirm by the first memory. If you are, do you want me to give you a little bit of backstory? I can give you a little bit of my memory. It’ll help you get to know your parents more.” 

“Yes,” She shook her head in shock. “Of course.” 

“Alright,” He lifted the spoon from his concoction. “Lay back.” 

\--

Catra looked down and couldn’t see her body. She felt her presence suspended in the corner of the white-tiled room. The lights above her buzzed a bluish hue. In the center of the room, a bed with crisp white sheets and delicate gold filigree railing stood; a woman with olive-toned skin and dark, brown hair stuck to the edges of her face with sweat lay on it. She breathed heavily and glanced up at the man who held her hand. Warmth filled her eyes as he kissed her knuckles. 

He mumbled something into her fingertips, and she smiled up at him. His chocolate mane hung low below his shoulders. His skin was dark orange, and his ears were the same shape as Catra’s. She’d never seen anyone else with ears like hers, she realized. He closed his almond shaped eyes, they glinted a deep gold as he did. 

Catra looked around the room, and spotted Micah and Angella, younger, all of Micah’s hair and short, trimmed beard a deep, jet-black. All the wrinkles were gone from his eyes. Angella had her hand wrapped lazily around his forearm. Her lavender hair was just at her shoulders, the two strands closest to her eyes pulled back by a silver clip the shape of a butterfly. Her belly poked out just a bit from her hips, like she’d just begun to show. 

Finally Catra’s eyes landed on an older woman with bright orange stripes spotted with gray all over her face and body. Her snowy white hair was pulled into a long braid behind her back. In her arms lay an infant, bloody and new. She nuzzled the baby as the fluffy white towel in her hand ran over the small Magicat’s body. She lifted the little cat above her head, and Catra recognized the tiny stripes on her arms. “C’yra the second was a brave warrior and a just queen.” The woman was saying. “It is a fine name for…” 

“Mother,” Melendi interrupted with a click of his tongue. “She doesn’t need to have a traditional Magicat name.” 

The elder Magicat held Catra close to her chest and opened her mouth to protest. “I think C’yra is a lovely name,” the woman on the bed said, her voice melodic and high. She looked at her husband and nodded, which made his ears twist downwards. 

He sighed. “Ok mom, C’yra it is. Now, let me hold my daughter.” Melendi took Catra… or C’yra… into his arms and touched her nose softly. His eyes crinkled when she babbled back at him.

He carried her to the bedside and placed her on her mother’s chest. Tears spotted the woman’s eyes as she smiled down at the child. She gasped, “Look at her eyes, Melendi! One for you and one for me.” In the low light of the room, Catra hadn’t noticed, but now glassy and shiny, the woman’s eyes were a bright blue. The room’s occupants huddled closer to the bed now, catching glimpses of the tiny baby. 

“See, you thought she’d be too much of a Magicat to look like you.” Melendi said, rubbing his wife’s shoulder. 

“She has your nose, Britt,” Angella agreed. 

Britt wrinkled her nose. “Really?” She asked. “I think the ears are uncanny. They’re just like mine.” She laughed and ran her fingers through the fluff at the base of Catra’s ears. 

“Let’s just hope she doesn’t inherit your smart mouth. I don’t think Halfmoon can handle that much sarcasm,” Melendi quipped at her with a smile. He pushed back a few strands of sweaty hair from her forehead. 

“Oh, I hope she does.” She took Catra’s hands in hers, and her eyes crinkled as she leaned into the baby’s face. “Take no prisoners, little C’yra.” 

\--

“Micah, you’re my best friend. You’re not allowed to fail the Magicat section of HOMT!” She was in a different room, smaller and darker than the last. A strand of purple lights hung from the top of wooden railing of a bunk bed to the top of the doorframe. Pink and fuschia lava in a small, glass pyramid glowed and cast blush shadows around a room littered sporadically with dirty laundry and what she could only guess was boxes for rations, larger than she had ever seen. 

Even younger this time, maybe as old as Catra was when she first became Force Captain, Micah sat at a desk against the wall, arms and head slumped over the top of the desk. “Ugh, I’m taking too many magic classes now, man. I can’t learn history! It’s dumb. What do I need that for anyway?” 

Melendi was hanging by his heels from the top bunk. He stretched a long limb down and grabbed an orange ball from the floor. He tossed it above him absentmindedly, letting it bounce on the ceiling when he tossed too hard. “Because,” He scoffed. “We need to learn about the past to make decisions about the future and blah, blah, blah. But seriously, Magicat history is fucking cool. We had some of the greatest technologists, writers, conquerors…” He caught the ball to his chest and glanced at Micah in thought. “Sorcerers.” He teased. 

“Sorcerers?” Micah raised an eyebrow. “I thought Magicats didn’t need to be sorcerers. You’ve got your own magic.” 

“Well yeah,” Melendi flipped off of the bunk and landed on his feet easily. “But some Magicats have combined sorcery techniques with their inherent magic.” He sat on the edge of the desk.

Micah smirked. “Sounds dangerous.” 

“There were varying results.” Melendi admitted. “Ok, you tutor me in quantum transfig, and I’ll regale you with tales of the Magicats!” He mimicked a noble pose, fist lifted in the air. He broke the pose with a deep laugh. The sound of it made Catra’s chest tight. 

“Deal.” Micah said, putting his head back on the desk and turning it to face Melendi. “Doesn’t make me less tired though.” 

Melendi grabbed a can from a small ice box beside the desk and popped it open as he placed it next to Micah’s defeated hand. “So, I met a girl,” He started.  

Micah rolled his head to the side and considered his friend. “A girl?” 

“Yeah,” Melendi shrugged. “Dear ol’ mom’s gonna be thrilled.” He held out the  _ ll _ ’s with his tongue. “She’s human, sooo...” 

“Huh? It’s serious enough that you care what your mom thinks?” Micah pushed himself off the desk and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. 

“Don’t know. Could be.” Melendi put his foot on the desk and hugged his shin. 

\--

Flashes this time. Hearing Melendi’s voice, telling a story about Magicats. Feeling herself sitting in his lap with his arms around her. She had heard this one before. Maybe Micah retold it on the island, but before she could verify, Britt was laughing as she hoisted the toddler over her head. A gray wizen Magicat, Mimi, held her hand in hers as she struggled to put her feet in front of the other. Dark, deep reds and golds and browns that felt warm and safe. Running, pouncing and laughing with Magikittens in a rainbow of colors and a tiny pink princess, glitter and sparkles alighting in the air. Melendi playing with swords and dolls and making his daughter squeal in excitement. Britt pointing to letters on the story they read together, sounding out the words patiently. Laughing when she imitated the sounds. Catra wanted to swim in that laugh, hold it deep inside of her, hear it every moment of every day.

\--

Catra looked down at her hands, and they were small. Her claws were needle-sharp, but they were short, even when she fully extended them. “C’yra! We’ve got a surprise for you.” She heard Britt’s voice. 

“Britt, don’t get her too excited. She can’t even use it yet.” Melendi said. 

“Oh, she’ll love it.” 

“I doubt it’ll fit.” 

She was running, tottling really, until she found them sitting in front of their fireplace on a deep burgundy sofa. Her mother scooped her into her arms, so Catra was sitting in her lap. Melendi put Catra’s hands in his. “What I’m about to give you is very special. Can you handle it?” 

She nodded vigorously and giggled. Melendi reached behind him and in her hands he placed her mask. It dwarfed her hands, and as she tilted it, the cavities at its top glinted gold. “Whaz it do?” She asked, baby words forming in her mouth. 

“Everything!” Melendi beamed at her. “This will help you harness your powers when you’re older.” He ran his fingers over the smooth scarlet edges. 

She looked up at him wide-eyed. “Like you?” He nodded. “Like Mimi?” 

His eye twinkled. “Exactly like Mimi.”

“Let’s see if it fits.” Britt put her arms around Catra and squeezed. She took the mask and combed it into Catra’s hair. It fell into her eyes a few times, before finally Britt found the perfect balance on her face. Catra jumped up and ran across the room to the mirror she knew stood over a mahogany buffet table. Her parents had shown her her own reflection there since they brought her home. 

Melendi followed and whisked her up to eye level with the mirror. She admired her new crown, the edges sticking out far from her face. Melendi leaned his face to hers and crashed their crowns together with a tiny “bonk.” She giggled. “We match, daddy!” 

Britt came up behind them and snaked her arms around Melendi. She popped her face next to Catra’s and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “How do you think mommy would look with one, C’yra?” 

Catra giggled. “You don’t get one! You have to have fuzzy ears, mama.” 

Britt snorted. “Right, I forgot about that. It’s the number one requirement.”

Catra squirmed, and Melendi released her to the floor. She spun around in circles and jumped around the room, scratching the air and throwing punches like she’d seen other Magicats do. Melendi crouched low to the ground, tackled her and lifted her high above his head with a laugh. She ran and pounced and leapt with her father until the ill-fitting mask was eventually thrown off of her head. 

\--

Catra hated seeing her parents in armor. Every time Melendi and Britt strapped on the dark, muted plates, she knew they'd be gone for hours, days, sometimes weeks, while Mimi took her to the basement, crowded with hundreds of other Magikittens and grandparents. This time though, she’d thought of the perfect solution.  

She looked up at Melendi adjusting his shoulder plates in the mirror and cleared her throat. "Yes, C'yra?" He replied, smiling down at her. 

“I’m coming too.” She said surely. 

He scratched the side of her head, pausing a moment behind her ears. She purred. “No love.” She scowled up at him. 

“No, I got armor like you! Look.” She held up the parchment breastplate she’d constructed with Mimi’s help. 

Britt swooped in from behind and lifted Catra onto her shoulders. "Oh good. Now you can protect everyone in the tunnels."

Catra kicked her legs hard, so Britt ducked low and spilled her onto the floor. "No, I'm going. Dad said I could!"

"I did not say that." "He did not say that." They chimed in unison. 

"C'yra, we're going to the basement," Mimi said, then shot a look at Britt, "and you should too. You have a daughter to think about."

"I  _ am _ thinking about her," Britt said drawing Catra to her knees defensively. 

"You're a brilliant strategist, Britt." Mimi sighed. "You've placed the troops where they need to be; you've done your part, now you need to be in the tunnels, giving everyone hope."

Britt crouched down and wrapped her arms tighter around Catra who was still looking up at her grandmother, pressing her armor to her chest. At that moment, a warm pink light shone in the middle of the room, and Micah appeared, highlighted with dark plum sparkles. He held a lavender staff, long as he was tall in his hands. His armor was the same metallic hue. "What are we working with, Micah?" Melendi asked. 

Micah greeted Catra with a ruffle of her hair, and shook Britt's free hand. "Bright Moon is able to provide half our forces, but we've got to keep half to ward off the Horde's threats to our suppliers. Angella's coordinating them from there. King Mercia's our final ally, so we have the Salineas navy on your coastline." He reported. 

"And you're here." Melendi said, taking Micah's elbow in a brotherly handshake. 

"And I'm here," Micah nodded. "Wherever you need me."

“We should head out, but please give us a minute,” Melendi said gently. Micah and Mimi shuffled out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind them. 

Britt wrapped Catra closer into her arms and rested her head on Catra’s tiny shoulder, kissing the girl’s mane. “Mom!” C’yra shrieked at the tickles. 

Melendi sat in front of the pair, and Britt released her wriggling daughter who sprung into her father’s arms. She wrung her little arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. 

"I don't want you to go," She whined into his neck. The feeling in the pit of her stomach was as foreboding as a 6 year old's little body could contain. Melendi kissed the top of her head, and Britt rubbed the child's shoulders. “We’ll be right back, C’yra,” Britt reassured her. Catra just shook her head. “You just be brave.”

Melendi pulled Catra off and squared her shoulders to face him. “C'yra, you come from a long line of fierce Magicat warriors, and one day we're going to fight side by side. You and me, ok? I promise. But today, I need you to protect Mimi in the tunnels. She needs you there, and I wouldn't trust anyone else to do it. You're the only one tough enough.” 

She nodded weakly, and Britt came around to the front of her and wiped a tear off Catra’s face with her thumb. “I love you.” She whispered, and Catra mumbled it back. 

Melendi pulled them both into a tight hug, and Catra felt truly safe for the last time in her life. 

\--

Catra’s eyes blinked open and she realized she was curled into a ball, her knees pulled up to her chest by one arm and a closed fist. Her other hand was pressed to her face, catching the tears that fell steadily from her eyes. Another broken promise. Micah was gently rubbing across her shoulder blades with an open palm. He gave the center of her shoulders a soft pat. “Can you tell me what you need, right now?” 

She wiped her face roughly with the heel of her hand and nodded. She sat up abruptly and threw her head onto his shoulder. He rubbed her opposite arm, supporting her weak frame. She sobbed into his shoulder for a minute. “It’s alright, Catra.” 

“It’s so unfair.” She mumbled. 

He sighed. “Yeah, it really is.” He squeezed her shoulders. 

She scoffed and turned, facing the same direction as him. “Fuck, I miss them.”

“I do too, Catra. Every day.” He shook his head and lifted his other hand to massage his forehead. 

Catra looked up. “Did that take a lot of magic?” 

He chuckled. “Only a little.” 

She inhaled deeply. 

He looked down at her. “You want to talk about it?”

She smirked. “Nah, I think I just need some time.”

“Ok, I’m here whatever you need.” He squeezed her shoulder again. 

“Thanks.” She looked at him. “So you’re like my uncle, huh?” 

“You can just call me Micah if you prefer.” he offered. 

“I don’t know,” She wriggled out from under his arm, and nudged him on the shoulder. “I kinda like the ring of Uncle Micah.” She looked up. The sky had darkened since she had last seen it. 

“I can’t believe I had a family.” She finally said. 

“You still do. Me and Angella, she’ll remember you…”

“I…” Catra interrupted. “I don’t think Angella will want me in Brightmoon.” 

He furrowed his brow and looked at her with confusion. 

“I attacked Brightmoon. I almost destroyed her runestone. I made one of the princesses defect. I did a lot of things…” She sat forward, hands to her chest. 

“Catra,” Micah leaned forward too. “You’ve spent the last 15 years of your life, being brainwashed, having your memories literally scrubbed from your brain, and raised to be a soldier. You don’t get to take credit for all of that. But, it could help to talk to the people you’ve hurt, maybe ask for forgiveness.”

“Ugh,” Catra groaned. “This just all got really complicated.”

“And I’ll talk to them too.” He said. “My wife and my daughter. I’ll make sure they at least give you a chance. First impressions should never count.” He offered her a smile and she finally grinned back in defeat. 

“Ok,” She said. “I’ll try out Brightmoon for a bit.” 

His eye crinkled as he smiled, but then his smile faded. He brushed back a lock of her hair and sighed. “Catra, there was another memory.” 

She tilted her head. “What do you mean?” 

“It was later, from when you were older. Probably about three years ago or so. I was looking at all the memories you were seeing, to make sure you were seeing the right things, but then this memory began…” His voice was serious and sad. “It seemed private, so I immediately stopped. I didn’t want to give it back to you since we hadn’t talked about it first. But I wanted to ask if you wanted to see it. There’s a way I can give it back to you without seeing it myself.” 

Her eyebrows set, furrowed. “What was it about?” 

“I’m not sure.” He started. “I just know that it had to do with your friend, blonde, kind of tall.” 

Of course it was Adora. It was always Adora. Catra looked down at the hands she hadn’t realized she was wringing. “What about her?” 

“All I know was it was something Shadow Weaver didn’t want you to remember.” He hated to be the bearer of news like this, of more stressful decisions, of more hurts than she had already experienced. “You don’t have to decide right away. I just thought you deserved to know. If you decide you want to…”

“I want to see it.” Catra’s voice was firm and sure. 

“Now?” He asked leaning behind him to grab the bowl. He stirred the orange crystals, a smaller amount now; they vaporized to liquid at his touch. 

Catra lay down on the bench. “Yeah, let’s rip the bandage off all at once.”  

\--

The familiar ding of a completed training rang in her ears. For once even Kyle had survived to the end. Adora had set all of their positions meticulously, playing to each of their strengths, Catra set high above in the metal treetops, lashing down delivering attacks between dodges. Rogelio and Kyle were out in front of the robot, zigzagging and changing its direction. Kyle’s erratic movements paired with Rogelio’s ability to spar the robot’s attacks allowed them to distract its defense mechanisms while Adora and Lonnie ran underneath it to deliver upwards blows. Finally, Adora delivered a heavy final blow that sent the metal skeleton’s body flinging backwards. 

Catra watched as she hung off of a steel branch. She dropped down to her team, who were exchanging high-fives and clapping each other on their backs. She had barely touched down before Adora swept her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders and touched her forehead to Adora’s chest. Adora’s hands released as she pushed out of the hug. There was no time or space for prolonged touch. Their cheeks brushed as they pulled away. Catra still felt the bend in the hair by her cheek that had been swiped forward by Adora’s face. Adora smiled down at Catra, her hands wrapped around Catra’s biceps. “That was our best time yet.” 

Catra thought she remembered this trial, but she remembered it differently. The plan had been disastrous. The robot had collapsed on Adora and Lonnie, sending Adora to the medical wing for a week. At least that’s what Catra remembered. She woke up in her bunk, and felt like shit for even longer than that, with deep aches across all of her muscles. She’d been hit with some sort of beam, but laser injuries had never felt so deep-set, not that she often dealt with them. She could usually dodge them. 

She looked back at Adora and smiled. “This is it.” She heard Adora saying. “We’re gonna graduate. We’re going to get to join a battalion and see the world!” Her grip on Catra tightened in excitement, and her smile was so wide it wrinkled her nose. 

Catra took a step back, dropping Adora’s hands. Adora didn’t seem to notice, her eyes still on Catra. “We should celebrate tonight.” She said lower, bending slightly to say it in Catra’s ear, so only she could hear. 

Catra nodded. They walked to the locker rooms together, drunk and giddy with excitement. Catra still felt the tuft of hair pushed forward, tickling her cheek. She finally pushed it back to keep her hair dry as she splashed water from the shower onto her face. She looked across the showers at Adora’s lean back, watched Adora’s shoulders tense and relax as she freed her hair from its ponytail. Catra faced the wall again, washing efficiently. 

Adora wrapped a towel around herself and walked toward Catra as she finished drying off. They walked back to the benches of the locker room and began getting dressed side by side. “How’s our rooftop spot?” Adora said as she slipped on her boots. 

“I thought you hated that spot?” Catra smiled. She didn’t. She loved that spot, sitting high above the rest of the Fright Zone, her own little castle in the sky. 

Adora shrugged. “It’s a little hard to get to, but I can. Plus, it might be nice to feel like it’s just the two of us.” 

Catra felt the space underneath her ears warm, a feeling she wasn’t interested in indulging. She looked down and buckled her belt around her waist, thinking of the best way to ward it off and distract the nerves that came with it. “Race you to it!” She looked up, a wicked gleam in her eyes. 

“Wait,” Adora grabbed her wrist and the feeling immediately returned, stronger this time. “Let’s get something first.” 

\--

They lay outstretched on a blanket, looking up at the wispy grey clouds that swirled above them. The pale green smoke emanating from the high towers of the Fright Zone combined with the clouds, striking against the dark grey sky. They passed a bottle smuggled from the kitchen back and forth. The dark liquid went down harshly and left a burn at the back of Catra’s throat, but it also spread a deep warmth starting from her ears and down through her chest.  

Adora leaned up on an elbow and looked down at Catra whose head had been next to hers. “Can I tell you about a weird dream I have sometimes?” 

Catra rolled to her side, and propped her own head up with her arm. The motion set her nose just below Adora’s. She could feel Adora’s breath on her lips. “What is it?”

Adora looked down at the bridge of Catra’s nose and the spattering of freckles that flung across it. It reminded her to look back up at the sky again. “Sometimes, I dream of these pinpricks of light in the sky, like the moons, but much smaller and much brighter. They're called stars.” 

“Huh,” Catra matched the tilt of Adora’s neck, craning upwards to try to imagine it. She closed one eye and glanced at Adora out of the corner of her other. “What do they do?”

Adora shook her head. “Nothing really.” Her eyes were far away. “I remember drawing lines between them sometimes, almost like spelling out words.” 

“You nerd,” Catra pushed Adora playfully with the palm of her hand. “You want to read the sky?” 

Adora laughed as she steadied herself on her palm. “Admit it,” She feigned a relaxed smirk. “It would be pretty cool.” 

Catra wasn’t falling for it. She slinked down to lay on her back again, propping her head up on her hand. “And what would the sky say to you?”

Adora sat up and tilted her head as she looked up to the sky. “I don’t know. Guess I hadn’t dreamed that far into it.” She wrapped her arms around her shins and rested her head on her knees. She looked at Catra. 

Catra smiled up at her, her head a little wobbly from the sherry they’d snagged. She sat up too, lining up hers and Adora’s feet in a neat little row. Her arm rested against Adora’s casually warming with heat between them. 

“So what made you think of stars?” Catra asked. 

Adora considered her friend for a moment, seeming to contemplate her words. “Your freckles… they look kind of like stars, lots of pretty patterns.”

Catra laughed. "Are you calling my freckles pretty?" She teased. 

Adora looked as though she were about to deny it when she closed her mouth again and fixed it in thought. "Yeah," she smiled. "I guess I am."

Catras stomach felt like it was about to fall out from under her. She cleared her throat. She’d never given a thought to the idea of being pretty. It wouldn’t make her a better soldier, so it hadn’t crossed her mind. Nothing around her in the Fright Zone had even been pretty to her.  _ Except Adora’s eyes,  _ she thought, two spots of color in this dull world. She knew what the Horde called this. Weakness. And she had enough of that without this latest development, but maybe Adora had always been her biggest weakness. 

She shifted her weight, to lay her knees on the ground and face Adora. She smirked, "You going soft on me?"

“No!” Adora flushed and threw up a hand to push Catra, who caught her by the wrist instead. Catra’s tongue felt heavy in her mouth suddenly. She closed it, swallowed and blinked slowly. Adora’s face was closer now, her nose just brushed against Catra’s. Adora bit her lip. Impulse took over, and Catra jolted upwards, pressing her lips on Adora’s before she leaned back in surprise. 

Catra’s hand flew across her chest as Adora broke the kiss. She clutched her collar defensively, wide-eyed and embarrassed. Adora was staring into her eyes. She released one ragged breath before leaning down, taking Catra’s neck into her arms, and kissing her deeply. Catra twisted the wrist that lay across her chest and folded her fingers into the front of Adora’s shirt. 

Catra hovered over her now, pulling the bottom of Adora’s lip with her teeth. It took all her restraint not to dive deep back into her pink mouth, but it was worth it to feel Adora’s breath as her lips chased after her. “Catra,” Adora pled in a whisper, her eyes fluttering open. That was all it took. 

Catra relented and met Adora’s parted lips. She kissed her bottom lip, dragging her teeth behind each kiss. Adora wrapped her arms around Catra’s back and sat up, still glued to the girl in her lap. Adora’s hands snaked, one up Catra’s spine to land in her hair, the other around Catra’s waist holding her as close as she could manage. It still wasn’t close enough. 

\--

Adora lay behind Catra, knees slotted behind hers, nose nuzzling the crook where her shoulder met her neck, buried deep in her hair. She lazily ran her lips over the spot, pressing kisses down lightly. Every drag of Adoras mouth across new territory felt electric and her skin danced at the sensation. She felt Adora's hands come to wrap around her waist and make their way back up her chest. She grabbed Catra's hands in her fists and squeezed them as she tightened her hug all around Catra. 

"We should probably head back," Adora whispered into her ear. 

Catra groaned and twisted in Adora's arms until she was laying on her back. "Fat chance. I'm never going back."

Adora ducked her head under Catra's arm and nestled on her chest, arms still wrapped around her. "You'd need to eat eventually," she said lazily. 

"Hmmm, I don't know, it seems like we could just…" 

But her tease was cut off by Adora's scoff. "Catra!" 

Catra just chuckled and drew circles with one finger around the center of Adora's shoulder blades. Nothing had ever been easy for Catra, running the gambit of the Horde’s training or dodging Shadow Weaver's wrath... but this. This was the easiest thing in the world. Adora leaned up and kissed her jaw and then her mouth. She pulled up, lips barely breaking contact and whispered, "Come on, we really do need to go. Before the moon comes up."

\--

They padded down the hall together, steps clumsy. Their touches lingered, hands wrapped around waists, arms draped over shoulders, fingers pulling at hips as their excited whispers cast small echoes up and down the empty corridor, mingling with the usual creaks and moans of the Fright Zone.

Catra heard the familiar sweep of Shadow Weaver’s floating tendrils before she spoke, but it was still too late. She pushed Adora to arms length and saw the emotions blink across her face, first worry, then confusion, then shock and fear, all color draining from her once-flushed cheeks. 

“What,” Shadow Weaver paused, announcing her presence, “are you two doing out of the barracks at this hour?”

Catra winced at Adora’s immediate stammering but kept her eyes trained down. “Shadow Weaver!” She heard Adora exclaim, “We were just… I wasn’t feeling well, and Catra was helping me…”

“Not feeling well? You were perfectly fine today, Adora.” Shadow Weaver admonished. 

“Yes, but…” Adora started before Shadow Weaver grabbed her collar, not roughly. She slipped her fingers under the hem and pulled down, examining a row of red bruises freshly formed along her clavicle. 

“I don’t suppose it has anything to do with…” 

“I think I’m having an allergic reaction,” Adora interrupted quickly. 

“Come with me,” Shadow Weaver turned and hastened toward her private chambers. 

Catra and Adora chanced a glance at each other before following. The urge to grab each others hands left their pinkies feeling warm. Shadow Weaver led them in silence before closing the door to her room behind them. The Black Garnet diffused dizzying red shadows around them. Their silence remained as they watched Shadow Weaver pull out a long black table with thick brown straps.  

 “I don’t think I have to explain that this behavior will not be tolerated,” Shadow Weaver began, her voice cool. 

“Shadow Weaver, nothing…” 

“Do not lie to me again, Adora,” Shadow Weaver spat. Adora’s mouth snapped shut, and she chewed the inside of her cheek. 

“Now,” Shadow Weaver began again. “I’m going to remove your memories of what happened tonight, and you’re going to return to your bunks, and this nasty business will never come up again. Do you understand me?”

Catra felt her stomach churn and bile rise at her mentor’s words. She growled, “You can’t just…”

“Silence.” Shadow Weaver said, magic pulsing angry and inflamed. “This is not a discussion. Adora, you first. I need to speak with Catra alone when I’m through with you.” 

Adora looked at Catra, worry and dread filling her eyes. “Please Shadow Weaver...” her voice was shaky, and her eyes never left Catra. 

“Adora!” Shadow Weaver yelled and Adora jumped, never having heard venom in that voice directed at her before. 

She turned to look forward at Shadow Weaver. “Please…” Her voice was quieter now. 

A wave of Shadow Weaver’s red magic swept behind Adora, pushing her forward. She landed directly in front of the table, and she cast a defeated look at Shadow Weaver. Catra had never seen her shoulders slumped like that. She turned slowly, stepping up on the table as she did. She turned to look at Catra, whose ankles were pinned to the ground with angry magic. Regret filled Adora’s eyes as she gazed at her friend. When their eyes locked, Adora mouthed  _ I love you _ fast enough for Shadow Weaver not to see. 

The well burst. Catra fell to her knees, her body collapsing in heavy sobs.  

\--

Catra felt Shadow Weaver’s magic tighten around her skin, Her entire body felt crunched underneath it’s power, and that didn’t even begin to include the burn, icy and hot at the same time, seering into her skin. It had happened more times than she cared to count, but it felt the same each time. The feeling never lessened, and her body always felt sore for weeks.  _ She had felt sore for a week after that botched training set that sent Adora to the hospital wing for a week. Shadow Weaver would rather erase the memories of her entire team than let them keep their accomplishment. She had punished all of them, and they hadn’t even known.  _

Catra squeezed her eyes shut as Shadow Weaver floated closer and closer. Suddenly, Catra felt her perspective shift, and she felt like she was watching the scene from the corner of the room. It didn’t make it easier to watch. 

She opened her eyes just as Shadow Weaver landed a hard slap on Catra’s cheekbone.  _ She had woken up with a bruise on the side of her face that morning. _

“You do not deserve Adora.” Shadow Weaver said as though it were the simplest thing in the world. “Look at me, Catra,” She tightened her magic suddenly, and Catra snapped her eyes open and gritted her teeth. 

“Good,” Shadow Weaver said, her voice going an octave deep. “Now understand me, Catra. The only reason I haven’t erased you entirely from Adora’s memory is because of how much of her training it would undo.”

Catra scowled. 

“But believe me. If this ever happens again, I will. It’ll be worth the extra time to retrain her. But I will not erase your memory. I will transfer you to the other side of Eternia, and you will never see her again. Do you understand me?” 

The same tear that rolled down Catra’s cheek now, appeared in her memory. “You’re pathetic.” Shadow Weaver hissed when she saw it. “Now,” She dropped Catra in a heap on the floor. Catra’s skin pulsed feeling the magic removed. She hugged her arms and tucked her knees to her chest. “Go.” Shadow Weaver indicated the table with thick brown straps. 

Catra slinked across the room, practically on all fours. The tears streamed too freely from her face. She tried desperately to hold them in. She stood up on the table and cried into her arm. Shadow Weaver snapped on the bottom three straps at once. She sent a stream of magic to the arm Catra held up and forced it down by her side. The sudden pain caught her sobs in her throat. 

Shadow Weaver buckled the top buckle with her hands and leaned in close to Catra’s face. “Do not make this more difficult.” 

Catra shut her eyes and nodded weakly. 

“Good,” Shadow Weaver said,leaning back and charging up the inky black magic in her hands. Then, just black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long. I really love this chapter, so I've been holding it tight to my chest, wary to relinquish it. I love Catra's parents so much that I almost split this into two chapters, so that we could all just revel in them a little longer. But in the end, I decided not to break the momentum. I don't think I executed everything as well as I wanted to, and I'll likely delve into some of the Magicat memories in later chapters, maybe flesh out some of the "flashes." I had a few other scenes in mind, but didn't have the time to write them all. 
> 
> Tumblr: she-rainbow. Hit me up and talk to me about season 3. I'm in a drought, guys.


	6. A Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Micah land in Bright Moon. So do Bow and Glimmer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I've pretty much got the next four chapters outlined and some even partially written, so be ready for me to start churning those out again. 
> 
> Just a reminder that I started this fic after season 2, so this story is not compliant with s3 or s4. I started it with an end in mind, so I'm going to keep writing towards that. At this point think of this as a canon divergent at the end of season 2 AU. Angella is still alive, Catra never opened the portal, Shadow Weaver is still on the run and has only appeared fleetingly to Adora.

She felt the sensation of swinging before she opened her eyes. Catra woke in a hammock, navy surplus blanket still tucked around her. The shelf beside her head held a full canteen of water and a neat pastry. She drained the canteen quickly, but a piece of pastry flaked off when she touched it, so she recoiled and left it untouched. Food wasn't supposed to do that, right? She swung her feet over the side of the hammock and kicked her legs slowly recalling… everything. Her hands grasped her temples, desperately trying to slow the spinning. 

When she found Micah on the deck, he poured something hot and dark into a cup and handed it to her. She didn't drink, just let the steamy porcelain warm her hands. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked. He went on when she just grunted. “I need to modify the spell. I think for that memory, I could have done something differently, or at least pulled you out of it sooner. I’m sorry if…” 

“It’s fine.” Bright Moon was close, she could see its hazy pink outline across the horizon. She wondered how long she'd been out but couldn't bring herself to ask. 

At her side, Micah was buzzing with pent up energy at the lack of conversation. "So…" She didn't acknowledge him but that hadn't deterred him before. “Where is your friend now? Is she still with the Horde?”

Catra crossed her arms. “No.”

“Oh,” The brightness in Micah’s face dimmed at the connotation. “Did something happen to her?”

She let out an indignant snort. That’s one way of putting it, she supposed. “Yeah, something happened to her.” 

"I'm sorry, Catra." He said softly. 

She bristled. "It doesn't matter anymore," she mumbled. 

“You know, you mentioned the Princess Alliance was back, but you didn’t tell me about She-Ra.” Micah said, attempting what  _ he  _ thought was a subject change as he spread out a thin newsheet. He must have gone ashore to scout while she was out. Adora’s deafening smile twinkled up at them in the smudged newspaper ink. He chuckled. “Although, I guess being in the Horde, you might not know how important that is…" He traced the words of the story wistfully with one finger as he mumbled more to himself than her. "Huh, the Rebellion might actually stand a chance.” Her empty stomach suddenly rumbled. “Did you not like the pastry? That’s ok. What can I whip up for you?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.” She bit the inside of her cheek and sniffed at the cup in her hands. It smelled like herbs. 

"So I know you encountered Glimmer. You ever fight her?" He said pointing at the dazzling smile. She gripped the mug too tight, and the edges of it began to creak.  

"Once or twice," she feigned disinterest. Then just "no" when he asked if she was as formidable as the legends say. 

He smirked at her. "Ha, your dad was the same way. Never intimidated by anyone."

She breathed through her nose. “I don’t think I want to go to Bright Moon anymore.” She said staring into the dark liquid. “I can’t…” She bit her lip.

“Catra,” Micah sighed. “It’s going to be ok. I’ll go ahead of you, explain everything; everyone will be prepared and know you’re coming…”

"You’re gonna go to the queen looking like that?” She asked with a scoff. 

He blinked. “What’s wrong with how I look?” 

She shot him an unimpressed look over the mug as she took a sip. It tasted like cinnamon. “To start, you look like you’ve been stranded on an island for fifteen years.” He bumbled, consciously pulling a hand through too long locks. “We should at least trim your beard and your hair… how short was it when you left?”

“Short.”

“Hmmm. I can probably help. We used to cut our own hair in the Horde all the time…” She muttered turning to go back under deck and find scissors or a knife. “Maybe I’ll cut mine. I’ve been needing something new.”

\--

“Adora,” Swift Wind said. “We’ve been searching for weeks. We’ve checked every cave and treetop for miles. Maybe we should go back to the Crystal Castle and reconvene. Light Hope might…” Adora hopped from his back and landed on the tree branch. She hobbled for a second before carefully perching, back rested on the wide trunk.  

“Light Hope is not going to help me with this.” She interrupted.

“Why not?” He settled on a heavier branch below her and folded his wings delicately. 

“The fate of the world doesn’t depend on it,” Adora sighed. She swung one leg and held her other knee up to rest her chin on. 

“Maybe…” Swift Wind started, and immediately Adora heard the tone of a suggestion. 

“I’m not stopping. You can leave if you want…” Her face and voice were hard. 

“No, Adora. I want to help you. I just don’t know if you’re helping yourself here.” 

“What?” 

“It’s just…” Swift Wind rarely stopped to consider his words. “It’s just… It doesn’t seem like Catra wants to be found. Plus, she escaped Beast Island, I’m sure she’s fine wherever she is. Why are you doing this?”  

Adora let out a deep breath. “No, I get that. I know she’s probably fine…” 

“Wait, I know what this is. You think this is your opportunity to get her back, don’t you?”

Adora looked down at the bark below her, rubbed the sharp spikes with the palm of her hand. “I don't even know if I ever had her, Swift Wind,” Adora said; she lifted the hand to rub her arm. 

Swift Wind nudged her shoulder with his broad nose, climbing up to rest on the same branch as her. “Hey, it’s alright. Let’s just take a rest before we start looking again? I think you could use a break.” 

She wrapped her arms around her neck and hummed. “Thanks Swift Wind.” 

\--

Micah was broad with his movements, teleporting wildly and without reserve of his magical supply. When he was caught sneaking into the castle, his story earned him an immediate audience with Queen Angella. 

She stood in attack stance, beautiful as ever, when he entered the room. The scowl on her face reminded him of looks she’d shot him when he hadn’t wiped his boots before coming into the throne room. Come to think of it, he hadn’t this time either, he thought, glancing down at the sand tracking from his soles. “Who are you?” Angella demanded, outstretching her arm with a glowing ball of energy at the end. Powerful as her effervescent magic was, he couldn’t help but feel himself soften at hearing her voice again.  

“Angella, I know it seems hard to believe, but it’s me. It’s really me.” Seeing her again, he felt a million years younger, like she stepped directly out of his dreams 15 years ago. 

Angella straightened, and the ball deflated just slightly. “Prove it.” She spat. 

“Oh!” He lifted a small green pouch from his boot. “Yes, of course. I should have started with this.” He tilted the bag into his palm, and out dropped a small, dark sapphire on the end of a silver chain with only five small links. 

Angella’s breath hitched. “Is that?”

“...the other half of your necklace?” He nodded, and held it up to the light. He crossed the room to her, and clasped it to the bottom of her pendant. His hand lingered on the stone before he drew it back. “That you gave me for good luck before I left. Because you’re so dang paranoid sometimes…” 

“Paranoid?” Angella said with a lilt at the end of her voice. “Have you forgotten that we all thought you were dead until…” Her words slowed until they died in her mouth. “You’re not dead.” She said quietly, her brows knit in one delicate, thin line. 

Micah grinned. “I’m not dead.” She swept him up with her wings and kissed him. 

“Where have you been, my love?” She asked softly when they broke away. 

“Beast Island.” She clapped a hand over her mouth, heartbroken. “I was taken prisoner after the Battle of Half Moon.” The battle that had undone the first princess alliance.

“Did anyone else survive?” She asked from behind her hand. 

“Only C’yrra.”

"C'yrra…" Angella closed her eyes. “Has she been on the Island too?”

“No, worse, she’s been with the Horde.”

“As a prisoner? I wish I had known, we would have sent forces into the Fright Zone. I…”

“No. As a soldier.” He sighed at her horrified expression. With a slight hesitation, he continued, “Angella, do you recognize the name  _ Catra _ ?”

She gasped. She’d never seen the girl up close. During the Battle of Bright Moon, the commander had been across the battlefield from Angella. Her silhouette had been all Angella could make out in the chaos, but she’d heard the name hundreds of times, across meeting rooms, during strategy briefings, spilled out from the lips of nearly everyone in the Princess Alliance. It didn’t connect to the child she’d watched grow up, the fluffy head and pointy ears of the little toddler she’d seen giggling with Glimmer, making her daughter set off her first pink sparkles of magic. She shook her head trying to reconcile facts that didn't match. “Micah…She led troops to attack Bright Moon. She nearly won.” 

"They wiped her memory when she was a kid, Angella. She didn't remember Melendi or Britt, Half Moon, the Magicats, none of it…" 

Silent tears were already falling from Angella's eyes. Shortly before Half Moon was taken, some of the Alliance's intel suggested that Bright Moon was the Horde's target. Shadow Weaver had just unlocked the magic of the Black Garnet, and she was eager to wield her newfound power on Etheria's most advanced kingdoms. "It could have been us," She cried.

He frowned, "I know."

"That could have been Glimmer."

His voice cracked with an unreleased sob, "I know."

Angella wiped her eyes with a thumb and lifted her chin. 

\--

The halls of Bright Moon were  _ exactly  _ what Catra pictured—bright, full, light. The noises of the halls were quiet, all sound dulled by rounded edges and soft curtains. The sharp metallic groans of the Fright Zone were an ugly contrast. Catra suddenly missed the sound, how it filled her brain and muffled her thoughts. 

Angella was, in a word, nice, not too overbearing or familiar. She mostly asked questions and smiled softly. Nothing notable until…

“King Melendi…”

“Hold on,” Catra interrupted ears perking. “King? My dad wasn’t a king, that would make me a…”

“A Princess,” Angella finished kindly, then turned to Micah, admonishment heavy in her voice. “You didn’t tell her she was a Princess?”

Micah shrugged, lifting his hands innocently. “It was a lot of information all at once. We were getting to it."

“Getting to it?” Catra said crossing her arms. 

The throne room door flung open, and a voice shouted, “Mom!” Glimmer and Bow appeared like a whirlwind, and it was Glimmer who caught sight of Catra first. “What are  _ you _ doing here?” She scowled. 

Her hard expression melted to confusion at Micah’s voice. “Glimmer,” He called gently. 

She looked at him, eyebrows fixed in concern, head tilted. Her balled fist relaxed and came to her heart as her eyes widened. “Dad?” She asked. 

He nodded and smiled, tears brimming. “Yes Glimmer.” Angella put a hand on his shoulder and jutted her chin down in confirmation. A zap and pop and Glimmer was across the room, landing directly in her father’s arms for the first time in fifteen years. He held her close, fighting the urge to see her at arms’ length, to examine every detail, answer every question he’d had about this daughter he couldn’t know. 

Catra watched the scene, uneasily shifting from foot to foot. She bit down the one question that was consuming her entire mind. She didn’t  _ want  _ to see Adora but not knowing when she might appear made her uneasy. Out of the corner of her eye Bow appeared, arms crossed in front of him. He tilted his chin up, tall and proud. Catra did her best to suppress the growl she felt forming in her throat. Not very well, based on the apprehension with which he slid beside her, trying to be casual. “What?” She snarled under her breath. 

She caught his quick glance at her unbound wrists, then flick to her claws. He took a breath before starting. “What  _ are _ you doing here?” He said under his breath, trying not to ruin the happy alight of the other half of the room. Always the goodie-two shoes, Catra thought. 

Catra mimicked his crossed arms and pursed her lips. “I don’t know yet.” She said, matching his whisper. 

“Are you joining the Rebellion?” He asked; she couldn’t tell what exact emotion was in his voice, but it made it crack slightly. 

“No.” 

“Are you still with the Horde?” This question was even more quiet. 

A beat. “No.” 

“Then who are you with?” Bow asked, lifting a hand.

Catra shrugged. “Micah, I guess. We helped each other bust out of Beast Island, so…” She watched Micah and Glimmer, chittering like children. Their faces both held tears and smiles, as they hugged and caressed, eager to replace lost time and bridge distance. Catra rubbed her own shoulder. It filled her with a jealousy she didn’t want. She rushed to the door.

\--

Glimmer found her in the abandoned stairwell. She’d tried climbing up to a rooftop, but couldn’t find the right pathway in the unfamiliar labyrinth of Bright Moon castle. She was sitting just above a small landing, having at least found a window that looked out. The brightest moon had begun to set.  “You never answered my question,” Glimmer said. Catra’s eyes snapped back to meet hers; There was no welcome in them. “What are you doing here?”

She stretched, placing her hands casually behind her head. “Returning the King of Bright Moon to the Rebellion, so a 'thank you' would be nice.” 

“How dare you be here,” Glimmer hissed through her teeth. “You tried to siege this castle. You tried to destroy my home and my runestone.” Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. Her eyelashes shined with them. “My mother almost died in that battle.” Her voice was still quiet, dangerously low, but dark and threatening with a teeming anger. “You  _ infected  _ She-Ra. You nearly took Adora away from me.” Catra winced at that. 

“Do you know what the Rebellion was doing without her? Nothing! We were barely fighting and losing, and there was no Alliance. But then Adora comes along, and everything changes. We’re finally fighting and winning, and finally we get one fucking glimmer of hope…” She shook her head. “My entire life I thought the Horde had killed my father. I’ve been fighting my whole life, because I thought my father was dead!” She thrust out an arm, and then a sigh. She stumbled to the stairs and sat a step below Catra. Her eyes were muddied with tears, but none flowed to her cheeks. She kept them there like loaded bullets. 

Catra stared between her knees, fixated on the frayed edges of her jeans. 

“But he’s not dead.” Glimmer’s voice was heavy with exhaustion. “He’s been alive this whole time. And you’re with him. And he’s defending you.” She looked at Catra’s profile. She was nearly a silhouette, highlighted from behind by a night moon. Her once proud mane cut close to her scalp, the front wisps clinging to her cheekbones retained the only memory of its former wildness. “Why?” Glimmer asked. 

Catra’s eyeline traced upwards, traveling down the stairs in front of her and to the opposite wall. “The Horde killed my family.” 

“What?” 

Catra bit her lip, hesitating. “In the battle that you thought killed your father. They killed my dad and my mom… and then they captured me. You were here, and they captured me.” Her voice built with her resolve. “So we’re on the same side of this thing, Princess.” She finally turned and met eyes with Glimmer whose brow was furrowed but softer now. “You just got dealt a much better hand.” 

Glimmer’s mouth hung open for a second. “I didn’t know that.” She whispered. 

“Yeah, me neither,” Catra said, resting her chin on her knees. 

“How did you not know?” The indignation in her voice was slight but apparent. 

“Look, it doesn’t matter,” Catra said, frustration building. 

“Of course it matters,” Glimmer argued. “If you didn’t know what you were doing.” 

“No, I knew what I was doing. I knew the Horde was evil.” Catra snapped. She sighed and settled her arms back onto her knees. “I just didn’t know I was supposed to care.”

“So what? You found out your parents were good guys, so now you want to be one too?” Glimmer asked. 

Catra rolled her eyes. “You think you’re the good guys? Please.”  

Glimmer crossed her arms and scowled, “Excuse me?” 

“You Princesses are far from perfect. Even if you all pretend to be.” Their glares met between them with a fierce energy. “Look, I don’t care about any of this. I don’t care about the rebellion or Princesses, the Horde, the Fright Zone, any of it. Your dad knew my parents, and he’s the closest thing I’ve got to learning anything about them or where I come from. That’s all I want; then I’ll get out of her, and you can have your precious war all on your own. I’m not here for that.”

“Fine,” Glimmer crouched in front of her now, finger lifted. “But if you make one misstep, you hurt one person, especially  _ Adora _ or my dad or Bow, I will take you out of this castle myself.” Glimmer teleported away before Catra could retort, so she was left to turn away from the glitter and purple light in protest. She saw pink light when she squeezed her eyes shut. 

\--

Catra recoiled as soon as she finally found her way to the top of one of the castle's spindle roofs. "What are you doing up here?"

The archer didn't look up from the tablet in his hands. The screen buzzed and shrieked as he fiddled with the electric green breadboard inside. "The signal's usually better up here, and I need to get ahold of Adora. Last I heard Swift Wind was on his way to get her from Beast Island, but we haven't heard anything since…" He finally glanced up at her. "We found a really old piece of First One’s tech in the Crimson Waste, but we need the sword to open it."

"It’s always about the sword," Catra sounded thoroughly unimpressed. 

Bow chuckled and agreed, "Yea, it really is." before leaning over his gadget and sticking out his tongue in concentration. "What are you doing up here?"

Catra slid her hands into her pockets. "Needed some air."

"That's a pretty steep climb for someone who just needed some air," He sounded amused. 

"Maybe for you." Catra turned away, then tilted her head at Bow.  “ Something’s messed up with her communicator?” She asked. Bow just nodded, still looking down.  

“Yeah,” Catra smirked, crossing her arms, “there’s a signal channel around Beast Island. We fucked with it so Micah could get out, and the guards couldn’t send messages about our escape. Probably messed up any tech that came into contact with it.” 

Bow chuckled. “Should have known it was your fault,” He said wiping his brow. 

Catra scoffed. “Yeah, I’m a criminal, breaking the king of the Rebellion out of a deadly prisoner of war camp. But Etheria-forbid I fuck up She-Ra’s walkie-talkie in the process.” 

Bow laughed nervously again. “Hey it was just a joke.” He touched a piece of the breadboard, and a zap of blue light shot to his finger with a short snip. He stuck the offending finger in his mouth. 

“Plus,” Catra continued. “Why don’t you just override her device and refresh it?” 

Bow fixed his brow and looked up, “What do you mean?”

“They’re all connected on a network, right? That’s how they communicate.” 

Bow nodded, mouth slightly agape. “Yea, but how did you know that?” 

She shrugged. “What? I guess Entrapta just talks about it so much, I pick up some stuff.” She took the tablet that Bow held out to her and started tapping on the screen, claws retracted. She toggled to the settings and examined the list of usernames: At the top, a pink diamond next to GLIMGLAM; a golden arrow ARCHER; a crown QWEEN; a sword ADORAble; a unicorn ANNE ARCHY. She held down the sword icon and refreshed the device. Immediately a green dot appeared next to the sword. 

“Have at it,” Catra said tossing the tablet back to him. 

“Wait,” by the time he looked up from the device in his hands, Catra had vanished. The screen started dialing. 

“Bow?” Adora shouted. 

Catra could only credit her superhuman hearing that she could catch Adora’s words through the static as she planted herself a landing below Bow. “Bow! Hey, is everything ok?” Catra could practically hear Bow bite his lip as he squirmed. 

“Adora, um I have something to tell you.” 

Static in reply. 

“Adora, Catra is here at Bright Moon.” 

“What?” The yell she heard over the static. 

“Yeah, yeah, she was already here when me and Glimmer got back. Oh! And we have things to tell you about the Crimson Waste. First of all, very scary people there. Second, we need your sword to access something… Adora are you getting on Swift Wind now?”

“Yes, I’m coming back,” the rustling in the background was even louder, but Adora shouted over the noise. “Be right there.” 

“Adora,” Bow called, “How far away are you?”

Catra couldn’t hear the response. She stole away to her bedroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! The first part of the next chapter is partially written, so you should be seeing it soon. 
> 
> Tumblr and Twitter: she-rainbow


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